'He popped round when you were asleep. I told him you were here and he didn't want to intrude, so he left.'
I felt as if I'd ruined her day or something. 'I'm sorry. I can leave if you want him to come back.'
'Don't be silly. Besides, I told him we were doing a bit of 'mother and daughter bonding'—for the first time in our lives—and needed time to ourselves.' She smiled shyly.
I smiled too and asked if there was anything I could help her with. She handed me the peeler and some carrots while she cut up a cabbage and we talked about my work and Gwen's wedding.
But she soon put down the knife and said, 'Summer, I don't know if you really care about what I say, but I'm going to say it anyway.' She sat down at the kitchen table and asked me to sit, too. 'This boy, Ryan? Did you really love
